State Department approves torpedo sale for the Netherlands

Aug. 3 (UPI) — The State Department has approved a possible sale to the Netherlands of $169 million for 106 MK56 torpedo conversion kits.

The sale, announced this week and pending approval by the U.S. Congress, also includes torpedo containers, recoverable exercise torpedo containers, fuel tanks, air launch accessories for rotary wing aircraft and engineering support.

The Royal Netherlands Navy intends to upgrade its MK 46 torpedoes to the MK 54 with the purchase of these kits. The State Department has determined that the Netherlands will have no problem absorbing the technology.

The MK-54 Lightweight Torpedo is a standard weapon of the U.S. Navy and many other nations designed for submarines and other classes of ships.

The proposal will have no significant impact to the security of the United States or impact the balance of power of the region, according to the State Department.